Your top ten sci-fi novels

[AGateFan]

Armor
by John Steakley

This is a pretty good sci fi book. Looks like wikipedia has a write up on it. NOTE SPOILERS ABOUND and books like this are better when not spoiled. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armor_(novel)

When I first heard of Starship Troopers (didn’t know it was a book then) I imagined it similar to the first part of this book which is one of the reasons I was dissapointed a bit in that movie.

[dosed150]

most star wars novels ive read i would recommend but timothy zahn usually rwrites the best the heir to the empire trilogy is essential reading for any star wars fan, survivors quest is a great book as well it keeps you guessing

[AcidSquid]

Halo: FoR
Halo: FS
Halo: Flood
Ringworld
Ringworld Children


What? I have a love for ring shaped megastructures...

[ladyjanus]

For pure scare-the-crap-out-of-you science I-hope-to-God-it's-not true fiction try The Andromeda Strain. Killer read. Fast. No fat anywhere in the book, and just enough science to make you really concentrate to be sure you understand what you're reading.

Movie's a winner, too. No drop dead gorgeous heroes, no fake bravado, just ordinary scientists doing what it takes to stay alive and save the world.

Highly recommended...

ladyjanus

[warmbeachbrat]

For pure scare-the-crap-out-of-you science I-hope-to-God-it's-not true fiction try The Andromeda Strain. Killer read. Fast. No fat anywhere in the book, and just enough science to make you really concentrate to be sure you understand what you're reading.

Movie's a winner, too. No drop dead gorgeous heroes, no fake bravado, just ordinary scientists doing what it takes to stay alive and save the world.

Highly recommended...

ladyjanus

Totally agree! And it's one of the few movies that gets the book exactly right.

[ShadowMaat]

Another one to add - "Spin" by Robert Charles Wilson. It's likely to win the Hugo award for best novel this year and it's one of the better books I've read in a while. I highly recommend it.

I'm in the middle of reading that now. And I ordered something called Seeker, by Jack McDevitt. About a "lost colony" among the stars that has become a modern day (story-wise) Atlantis. I think I actually read about it on SCIFI Wire or something. Figured I'd give it a shot.

Anyone else like the Bolo books? 'Cos I love 'em!

[Callista]

Huh...I read "Flowers For Algernon" years ago. I never considered it as being sci-fi. I guess I'll have to go back and read that again.

Someone else mentioned Kurt Vonnegut's "Player Piano". While I'm not a big fan of that particular book I do highly recommend "Cat's Cradle" and "Slaughterhouse Five". The latter is kind of hard to follow, but it's worth it!

"1984" was great. Although I read that in 1983, so it may have seemed cooler at the time.

I don't know if this one counts, but "A Clockwork Orange" is a really great book also. And if you've seen the movie, you may be surprised by the last chapter in the book.

I know this one doesn't count as "sci-fi" but "The Right Stuff" is a fantastic sort of "sci-non-fi" book. It's even better than the movie, and I absolutely loved the movie.

[Oka]

Anything by Heinlein, pretty much.

[ShadowMaat]

Algernon probably isn't scifi, technically, but drugs increasing your intelligence is kind of a fictionally gray area.

[DigiFluid]

Algernon probably isn't scifi, technically, but drugs increasing your intelligence is kind of a fictionally gray area.

Yep. I took a little bit of liberty with what qualifies as sci-fi to fit it in. *shrug* It's one of those things that everyone ought to read at some point.

[ShadowMaat]

Yep. I took a little bit of liberty with what qualifies as sci-fi to fit it in. *shrug* It's one of those things that everyone ought to read at some point.

It was on my list, too. Great stuff.

Seeker is good so far, although I wish I'd known it was third in a series before I started it. I HATE missing details.

[bella]

The lines between SciFi, fantasy and on-the-edge books are rather blurry. What do people here consider to definition of SF (in regards to books)?

[ToasterOnFire]

I'd classify Flowers For Algernon as sci-fi, since the protagonist's treatment is based on science yet is obviously fictional. However, the book focuses more on the characters and their reaction to the treatment rather than the scientific basis behind it, so I'd stick it as soft sci-fi rather than hard.

[Bey0nd]

great list here

http://cephyn.com/2008/07/02/32-sci-...i-should-read/